Market Leaders Podcast

In this episode of the Market Leader’s Podcast, David Ackert, with guest Vivian Coco, Head of Marketing, Communications, and Client Relations at Licks Attorneys of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, discuss a variety of factors associated with satisfying DEI requirements across cultures, countries, and regions.

Tune in to hear more about:

• DEI as a concept and its evolution across varied regions

• Particular challenges of DEI initiatives associated with the Brazilian market

• How international firms address DEI

• Vivian’s exposure to DEI, the ensuing impact on her perspective and career

• Criticisms commonly faced by law firms for DEI/social justice initiatives and prioritization (or lack thereof), and the fairness of those criticisms

• The future of DEI in Legal and more

In this podcast episode, David Ackert interviews Mark Hunter, Principal at Glen Maple Group, about the importance of client experience in professional services firms, particularly in the legal industry. Mark shares his background in CRM solutions and his current work with Glen Maple Group, which provides marketing and communication services to professional services firms on a fractional basis.

They discuss how client expectations have changed and why firms need to pay more attention to client experience. Mark emphasizes the need for firms to align with clients’ values, preferences, and work styles to create a positive and lasting client experience. They also talk about the practical aspects of implementing client experience initiatives, such as consistent communication, transparency, and acknowledging and acting on client feedback. Mark highlights the significance of understanding the audience and tailoring the client experience accordingly. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of honesty, transparency, and accountability in maintaining strong client relationships.

In this episode of the Market Leaders Podcast, David Ackert, with guest Mitchell Reno, Principal Director of Client Experience at Rehmann, shedding light on the ever-evolving landscape of Client Experience in professional services firms. With over two decades of Sales, Marketing, and CX expertise at Rehmann, one of the top professional advisory firms in the US, Mitch shares invaluable insights into this critical domain.

The episode kicks off by unraveling the true essence of Client Experience, exploring its definition and distinguishing it from client service. Mitch delves deep into the intricacies of the client journey, dissecting it into a 5 segment cycle and emphasizing the role of engineering a signature experience that can be consistently replicated to drive firm differentiation.

Discover the transformative power of active listening and feedback gathering as David and Mitch discuss their significance in optimizing the client experience over time. Learn how leveraging these insights can lead to continuous re-engineering, resulting in remarkable outcomes for professional service firms.

Tune in to this episode to gain exclusive access to Mitch’s wealth of knowledge, where he shares:

- Insider perspectives on Client Experience (CX) in professional services firms

- A comparative analysis of client experience vs. client service

In-depth exploration of the complete client journey through a 5 segment cycle

- The paramount importance of active listening and feedback utilization to continually enhance and re-engineer the client experience, yielding optimal outcomes

In this episode of the Market Leaders Podcast, David Ackert, with guest Lisa Vicine, Chief Marketing Officer at Arnall, Golden, Gregory LLP, unpack the keys to recruiting, developing and retaining an effective marketing and business development team.

Tune in to hear about:

- How Lisa rebuilt the foundation of her marketing and business development department at AGG

- The ways she protects, engages, and empowers her department to enable their growth.

- How she worked to align the services and the talent at her firm with where their attorneys need the most support, and how this realignment has impacted the lawyers’ books of business at AGG.

A rising tide raises all boats. In this episode of the Market Leaders Podcast, David Ackert, with guests Morgan Lewis' Chief Business Development Officer Amanda Bruno and Director of Business Development Coaching and Training Debra Hare, unpack how this sentiment is at the core of the firm’s BD ethos. They explore how the firm's collaborative culture is a key contributor to its success in preparing rising partners, retaining laterals, providing business development coaching and training, delivering premium client service, and more. Tune in to hear about:

- How Morgan Lewis sets new partners up for success

- How contribution is a core pillar of the culture at Morgan Lewis

- Morgan Lewis’ Rising Partner Program

- The importance of accountability and assistance to move the business plan along

- Finding synergies and mining collaboration opportunities from business plans

In this episode, David Ackert chats with Scott Love, President of The Attorney Search Group and a leading authority in legal recruiting, about three critical firm growth strategies: encouraging lawyers to expand their books of business through their referral network, through prospecting, and through lateral recruiting. Scott shares his expertise on how firms can overcome impediments to progress by building trust with clients, making people feel safe, prioritizing sincerity and authenticity, ensuring their efforts are regular and consistent, and always keeping the best interests of their clients top of mind. David and Scott also discuss the inherently challenging social experience of integrating new team members, and the importance of overcoming our natural tendencies towards distrust. Tune in to hear Scott share his perspective on:

- The three key ways firms can grow

- The importance of referrals in establishing safety and trust

- Direct vs. inbound prospecting

- Striking a balance between being business minded and relationship minded

- How firms can leverage lateral recruiting effectively

- The necessity of a strong integration process, and how it can become a key selling point for a law firm

Join David Ackert in this episode of the Market Leaders podcast as he speaks with Mike Mellor, the Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Pryor Cashman LLP. Mike's extensive experience in professional services marketing informs his insights on the importance of industry-focused go-to-market strategies, client-centric language, and tactical execution involving market analysis and creative alliances. Discover how Mike's firm leverages data to plan engaging events and webinars, earns partners' trust through data-driven decision-making, and how Mike's obsession with data trends fuels real-time marketing improvements. Tune in to hear Mike share his thoughts on:

- The historical “practice group” structure and why it’s problematic

- How a go-to-market (GTM) strategy can benefit both the attorneys and the clients

- How to tactically execute a GTM

- Analyzing for ROI and monitoring KPIs

- Tips for avoiding analysis paralysis

In times of uncertainty, the value of wisdom can't be overstated. In this special retrospective episode of the Market Leaders podcast, we reflect on the valuable insights shared by our recent guests that are particularly relevant for navigating the current market and economic challenges that may lie ahead. Join us as we explore Steve Martini and Larry Braun's perspectives on building relationships, Colin Keefe's essential guidance on rate structuring, and Eva Wisnik's recruitment ideology.

Marianne Talbot’s career and personal life have been characterized by versatility and excellence. Marianne, now serving as Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Bailey & Glasser LLP, has donned numerous hats, including that of a trial attorney, business development expert, executive coach, diversity and inclusion strategist, author, and mother. In today's turbulent talent pool, it is a rare occurrence to find someone who excels in multiple areas, but Marianne is a jack of all trades and a master of all. In today’s episode, tune in to hear David and Marianne discuss:

* Her unique mantra of growth through diversity, firm culture, and passion

* The importance of a pivot and hustle-oriented mindset

* The GALA approach to business development

Marianne was also kind enough to create a unique planning resource for our listeners, that can be accessed at the link below:

https://pipelineplus.com/blog/market-leaders-podcast-episode-74-an-entrepreneurial-approach-to-firm-growth-with-marianne-talbot/#free-workbook

Market leaders are skilled at finding opportunity in the places most people overlook. In this week's episode of the Market Leaders Podcast, Katie Munroe, Chief Marketing Officer at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, describes how she championed an expansion of the firm's business development efforts to include partners and associates. Katie astutely recognized how bringing associates into the fold earlier on would better prepare them for future partnership responsibilities. And that in today's highly competitive legal market, it is everybody's responsibility, not just the partners, to stretch the reach of the firm. Tune in to hear Katie elaborate on:

- Her philosophy on how to mold BD behaviors to prepare associates for partnership

- How her team has systematized the BD process

- The unique way she's brought levity to BD for associates

- Zuckerman Spaeder's training commitment

- How she helps associates inventory their networks and use LinkedIn more effectively